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Sunday, March 6, 2016

Bolivar Flats: The World's Fastest Animal

[Bolivar Peninsula, TX. Dec 2015]

It should come as no surprise that we are so immensely proud of all our technological achievements. And rightly so -- without technology, we are easily outrun, outswum, and outpowered -- our ability to survive in the wild without the fruits of technology would be very severely limited indeed.  

In sharp contrast to the human race, our fellow animals on earth seem perfectly capable of thriving in the raw environment of their habitat -- with nothing more than their god-given appendages and faculties

Consider, for example, the Peregrine Falcon. Its explosive combination of speed and power makes this falcon one of the deadliest hunters in the animal kingdom. The Peregrine brings down its prey by air-diving in excess of 240 mph and, what is effortlessly accomplished by the sheer natural prowess of this raptor, can only be matched by us through our clever inventions.

The inspiration, therefore, for this post is precisely "the world's fastest animal" -- the Peregrine Falcon -- which was observed on a recent excursion to Galveston County, TX. Driving south from Houston, through Galveston and then by the Port Bolivar-Galveston Ferry to Bolivar Peninsula, we return to the Bolivar Flats Sanctuary; where, in addition to the the highlighted species, this blogger was witness to an eclectic mix of species including:
  • Crested Caracara
  • Loggerhead Shrike
  • Eastern Meadowlark
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Savannah Sparrow
  • Forster's Tern
We start with the falcon:



The Peregrine was observed having seagull for lunch. This falcon is an avid bird hunter and its speed and power is rightfully legendary.







The Peregrine is a global raptor and found on every human-inhabited continent. 


Three Caracara were also observed at this venue -- unlike the Peregrine, these raptors are known mainly to scavenge.



Loggerhead Shrike is also a hunter but, unlike the Caracara and the Peregrine, it is a predatory songbird and not a member of the raptor family.

Also observed were:

Eastern Meadowlark:



And closer to the water, a Great Blue Heron:



The grasslands nearby harbor sparrows such as this Savannah Sparrow:



We conclude with a Forster's Tern:


The animal kingdom harbors creatures that truly personify the Olympics motto of "Citius - Altius - Fortius" [Latin for Faster - Higher - Stronger]. From the Bar-headed Goose that flies at almost 30,000 feet over the Himalayas to the Peregrine Falcon that is the world's fastest animal at over 240 mph, we share this planet with species that inspire our imagination and earn our respect for the superlative powers they possess so effortlessly and naturally.

1 comment:

Bob Pelkey said...

As I was perusing articles on the internet related to wildlife this evening, I read the headline of the dozen or so creatures that are known to have consumed humans. That mere concept was enough for me to avoid investigating it further. I especially like the eye level shots of your Peregrine Falcon at eye level, Hemant. I recall a Merlin as extremely fast at Bunche Beach Preserve as well. Too fast to track with the camera for sure.